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Drawn Together
Drawn Together is an American animated television series on Comedy Central. It was created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein, and first aired on October 27, 2004. Comedy Central advertises it as the first animated reality show, though technically, it is an animated sitcom set on a fictitious TV reality show. The show's eight cartoon characters (mostly recognizable parodies of cartoon stock characters, but which also double as parodies of the general personality types that inhabit TV reality shows) agreed to live in a house together in a setup similar to that of The Real World. In some episodes, characters participate in challenges that are based on reality TV challenges. The show is made by Rough Draft Studios in Glendale, California, with much of the animation done at the studio's facilities in Korea. Three seasons have been completed to date. The show's status is currently in limbo. Comedy Central has not ordered a fourth season, but the show has not been officially cancelled. Sales figures for the show's DVD releases, along with television ratings for the second half of Season Three, are expected to play a role in determining whether or not the show continues.http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2007/091807_drawntogether_new_eps.jhtml In March 2007, it was announced that creators Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein have left Comedy Central and signed a two year contract with Fox Broadcasting Company to create new series and/or work on the network's existing ones. A fourth season for Drawn Together remains a possibility; however, Jeser and Silverstein would no longer be involved with the show on a day-to-day basis.http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7333 Comedy Central's original tagline for the show was "Find out what happens when cartoon characters stop being polite… and start making out in hot tubs," referring to Clara and Foxxy's kiss in the pilot episode. The line is a parody of The Real World's tagline, "Find out what happens when people stop being polite… and start getting real." The aforementioned hot tub kiss is considered one of the show's defining images; Comedy Central based nearly all of its first-season promotional material for Drawn Together on it.http://scoobiedavis.blogspot.com/2004/12/exclusive-was-newsmaxs-hollywood-hero.html Characters * Captain Hero (voiced by Jess Harnell) - A chauvinistic, perverted, and lecherous parody of Superman and other superheroes, with a visual style taken from the cartoons of Bruce Timm and Max Fleischer. Among reality TV archetypes, he represents the macho egotist. * Foxxy Love (voiced by Cree Summer) - A sharp-tongued parody of Valerie Brown from Josie and the Pussycats, she is a promiscuous mystery-solving musician. She represents the sassy black woman. * Ling-Ling (voiced by Abbey McBride) - A homicidal spoof of Pikachu from the Pokémon franchise, who battles using various supernatural powers/abilities (reminiscent of anime) and speaks in pseudo-Japanese gibberish (or "Japorean", as Ling-Ling's voice Abbey McBride calls it) with English subtitles. He represents the culture shocked foreigner. * Princess Clara (voiced by Tara Strong) - A pampered, hyper-religious, and racist princess who is a parody of Disney princesses like Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She represents the naive daddy's girl. * Spanky Ham (voiced by Adam Carolla) - A sex-obsessed, obnoxious parody of Internet Flash cartoon characters. He represents the crude party animal. * Toot Braunstein (voiced by Tara Strong) - An overweight sex symbol from the 1920s who demands to be the center of attention, cuts herself with razor blades when depressed, and often instigates conflict in the house. Based on Betty Boop, she represents the manipulative bitch. * Wooldoor Sockbat (voiced by James Arnold Taylor)- A bizarre children's show character in the mold of SpongeBob SquarePants or Stimpy who displays many of the typical reality-defying behaviors of Looney Tunes characters. He represents the attention-starved weirdo. * Xandir P. Wifflebottom (voiced by Jack Plotnick) - A hypersensitive, overemotional, and effeminate parody of video game heroes like Link from The Legend of Zelda series. He represents the token gay participant. Content The show is adult-oriented, with plot lines revolving around such topics as the fact that Princess Clara's vagina is a multi-tentacled monster (a theme found in a number of hentai films). The humor is largely satirical in nature, its primary focus being the mockery of stereotypes. Some episodes have heavy emphasis on homosexuality and/or bisexuality, with some episodes (such as "Gay Bash" or "A Very Special Drawn Together Afterschool Special") solely devoted to these topics. Kinky sex is a common topic of conversation; several of the characters have extremely perverse sexual tastes, and the show makes frequent reference to masturbation, paraphilia, and BDSM. Death and violence are also constant themes. Nearly all episodes feature at least one death, and several episodes feature characters going on graphic killing sprees or perpetrating gruesome massacres. Even the main cast die with great frequency, though these deaths are never permanent. (see: Housemate deaths) The show's content is controversial, partially for its explicit dialogue and graphic violence, but primarily for the casual attitude the show takes toward taboo subject matter. A great deal of the show's humor revolves around making light of difficult topics such as abortion, rape, incest, pedophilia, spousal abuse, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and terrorism (even the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been joked about). The extensive use of stereotypes is another controversial aspect of the show, though the intent is actually to make fun of bigotry. As Jess Harnell states in the DVD commentary for "Hot Tub", "Most of the racism on the show is coming from people who are so obviously stupid about it; it really isn't that threatening." (Notably, one of the groups most commonly mocked is Jewish people, which includes both creators.) Though the two shows are stylistically dissimilar, the coarseness of the humor in Drawn Together has led to frequent comparison with South Park, the show that immediately precedes it on the network. South Park was thought to be extremely profane upon its premiere seven years earlier. By 2004, however, the preceding cartoon had dropped its TV-MA warning bumper, and almost immediately following, a TV-MA warning was shown before episodes of Drawn Together. Much like The Simpsons and Family Guy, Drawn Together is heavy with pop culture references. Animation is a major source of material; as mentioned above, many characters from comics and animated cartoons make cameo appearances and often are the subjects of parody. However, numerous live action films, TV shows, and video games are referenced as well. Reality shows are another prime inspiration, not surprising given that Drawn Together is presented as a reality show that takes place in a cartoon world. However, although many of the first-season plots made extensive use of the reality show scenario, this aspect of the show has largely been de-emphasized in later episodes. The spoofing of film and television clichés is another common theme on the show; many Drawn Together stories are parodies of overused plots from TV and movies. Although, figuratively speaking, the characters come from different kinds of cartoon worlds with radically different laws of nature and behavior (Princess Clara's fairy tale kingdom, Xandir's video game reality, Captain Hero's universe of super-heroics with set rules for hero/villain behavior, etc.), no explanation for how these worlds co-exist is given or, indeed, expected. All seem aware that they are in fact animated cartoons and that live action creatures exist, but none of them really seems to care; if they are resentful of the perils their animators put them through, they rarely indicate it. Another hallmark of the show is its extremely loose continuity. Many events in the show contradict each other, and the line between what is canon and what is not is very frequently blurred; there are numerous gags which are designed merely to be gags rather than canon, and it can often be difficult to tell which is which. One such example is in "The Other Cousin", in which Toot is pictured with a penis, but whether or not she actually has one is debatable. Another is Foxxy's various and contradictory stories about her son Timmy (one involves selling him on the black market, another involves her accidentally shooting him after believing him to be rabid, when he was really just brushing his teeth). According to Executive Producer Bill Freiberger, "Very little on Drawn Together can be considered canon. If you try to find continuity on this show you'll drive yourself nuts. The only thing that's consistent is we try to make the show as funny as possible. And we'd never let a little thing like continuity get in the way of that."http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=2308694&postcount=39 Style The show's visual style is that of traditional ink and paint animation, which is actually a departure for Comedy Central, which usually favors more specialized approaches to animation. The style was chosen both for the retro feel it gives the show and for the versatility it allows the animators, providing an environment in which it is possible to combine many different styles of animation. Another unique aspect of the show is that, where most cartoons present their characters, though animated, as real within the show's world, the Drawn Together characters retain their identities as cartoon characters even within their animated world. The show also features many cameo appearances by famous characters (or in some cases, copyright-avoiding clones) from all across the animated spectrum. In keeping with the various animation styles that form the premises for the various characters, Wooldoor and Toot have four fingers on each hand, whereas Clara, Foxxy, Hero, and Xandir have five. In promotional artwork for the show, Toot and Wooldoor are drawn with the standard five fingers, but in the show itself they have four. Also, whereas most of the characters are drawn with black outlines, Clara and items belonging to her are drawn with soft edges, a reference to Disney animation techniques. Cast Drawn Together features an eclectic cast of voice actors, which contains a mix of veteran voice actors (Tara Strong, Cree Summer, Jess Harnell, and James Arnold Taylor) and newcomers to the field (Abbey McBride and Jack Plotnick). Comedian Adam Carolla rounds out the cast. Members of the show's voice cast have previously collaborated with each other on numerous other projects prior to Drawn Together. Taylor (Wooldoor), Summer (Foxxy), and Strong (Clara and Toot) all performed in the Square Co./Square Enix-developed video games Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 as Tidus/Shuyin, Lady Belgemine/Young Tidus/Lenne (speaking voice)/Calli, and Rikku, respectively. On a similar note, Taylor, Strong, and Jess Harnell all performed in the video game Kingdom Hearts II (also developed by Square Enix) as Captain Jack Sparrow/Timon, Rikku, and Doctor Finklestein/Lock, respectively. Tara Strong and Cree Summer have also worked together on several other projects, most notably Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Danny Phantom, Codename: Kids Next Door, and The Buzz on Maggie (which also features Jess Harnell). According to the DVD commentary for the episode "Hot Tub", the two have known each other since childhood (both grew up in Toronto, Ontario). Three of the show's voice actors had previously worked with creators Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein on other projects: Jack Plotnick on Action, and Adam Carolla and Abbey McBride on The Man Show. Two of Drawn Together's guest stars also came from the casts of earlier Jeser/Silverstein projects: "The Other Cousin" guest star Sarah Silverman (from Greg the Bunny), and Carolla's Man Show co-host Jimmy Kimmel, who guest-starred in "Xandir and Tim, Sitting in a Tree" and "Alzheimer's That Ends Well". Originally, Xandir was to have been played by Nat Faxon, but the network forced the creators to fire him following the first table read, feeling his portrayal of the character was "too gay". They would end up replacing him with Jack Plotnick. In addition to their regular roles, the show's cast also provides many of the guest voices on the series, Summer, Strong, Harnell, and Taylor in particular. In the DVD commentary for "Hot Tub", Tara Strong jokes that this is because the show doesn't have a lot of money to pay guest stars. Chris Edgerly also appears in the majority of Season One and Two episodes despite not having a regular role on the series. Episodes Drawn Together has produced 36 episodes. For a list, see List of Drawn Together episodes. DVD releases Season releases The first season of Drawn Together was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on October 4, 2005. Its release was timed to coincide with the premiere of Season Two on television. The set includes all seven aired first season episodes. (By the time the release was finalized, it had been determined that the unaired "Terms of Endearment" would air during Season Two, so it was left off the set and eventually released as part of the Season Two set). The profanity and nudity are intact and uncensored. Some shows also contain additional lines and scenes. Special features include audio commentary on select episodes by creators Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein along with assorted cast and crew members, in addition to deleted scenes and karaoke/singalong versions of the show's songs. The set also contains a game called the Censored/Uncensored Game: A line is given, and the viewer must decide if the line aired on television as given (uncensored), or if it had to be altered significantly or deleted (censored). Some of the censored lines appear intact in the extended DVD version of the episode. Getting at least 11 of the 19 questions correct unlocks a hidden feature, a prank phone call by Jeser and Silverstein to their agent regarding the royalties they are to receive for the DVD audio commentaries. The song "Time of My Life" from "Dirty Pranking No. 2" had to be left off the set due to copyright issues. The show mocked the situation in the lyrics of the replacement music. Season Two Uncensored was released on September 25, 2007. Like the Season One set, the set features audio commentaries by Jeser and Silverstein along with assorted cast and crew members, as well as karaoke/singalong versions of the show's songs. The set also contains, in the words of the box art, "potentially annoying" commentary on the commentary for "Terms of Endearment". The behind-the-scenes interviews in the set are the same ones that appear on Comedy Central's website, which feature each of the voice actors talking about his or her character, along with a separate interview with creators Jeser and Silverstein. Tara Strong does two separate interviews, one for each of her characters (Princess Clara and Toot Braunstein). The interview with Adam Carolla, the voice of Spanky Ham, does not appear on the set for reasons unknown. (However, it can still be accessed from the website. http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/drawn_together/videos/behind_the_scenes/index.jhtml) The set also includes the controversial horse shot from "Terms of Endearment", which was not allowed to air on television. (See "Terms of Endearment" for more information.) Season Three Uncensored is scheduled for release on May 13, 2008. Previously on Drawn Together An aborted first season feature of the show was the "last week" segments showing possible outcomes of other episodes. This was a parody of serial dramas, which typically begin with a sensationalized recap of previous events. (In the case of Drawn Together, the events depicted did not actually occur on the show.) Four were produced but not used, but were included on the Season One DVD set. I: In a parody of Full Metal Jacket, shown in night vision, the housemates gather around a sleeping Toot, gag her, and then beat her with bars of soap in socks because she keeps leaving empty milk cartons in the fridge. II: After a nuclear apocalypse, the housemates repopulate the Earth with their kids, amalgams of themselves that include a Captain Hero/Clara going out with a Foxxy/Captain Hero/Wooldoor. III: Xandir tries to have a pillow fight with Spanky and Captain Hero, who are less than pleased. So instead of fighting with their pillows, they smother him. IV: The housemates run for their lives as they are chased by a giant Wooldoor who proceeds to eat them. Broadcasting networks External links * Official Comedy Central homepage * IMDB page * TV.com page * TV IV page * Wikipedia * Wikiquote * Life in the Drawn Together House * Drawn Together Fan Forum * Drawn Together RPG Center * Television Tropes and Idioms * Buddy TV